BridGene Biosciences just made waves out of San Jose, locking in a $28M Series B+ that’s less about cash and more about conviction. Led by Bayland Capital with GTJA Investment Group, Proxima Ventures, Lapam Capital & Grains Valley Venture Capital riding shotgun, this round brings total funding to $66.5M. Biotech insiders felt the tremor; the real ones are already leaning in.
Founded in 2018 by Ping Cao, Ph.D., BridGene was born from the idea that “undruggable” is just lazy science talk. When most researchers saw a wall, Dr. Ping Cao saw a map. His creation, IMTAC, short for Isobaric Mass-Tagged Affinity Characterization, turns live cells into discovery engines, scanning covalent interactions across the proteome like radar for hidden opportunities. It’s not blue-sky theory. It’s chemistry with street smarts.
Their lead program, BGC-515, a covalent TEAD inhibitor, just wrapped Phase 1 & is gearing up for Phase 2. That’s a molecule built to go where traditional inhibitors tap out. Right behind it, another program is lined up for an IND filing in 2027, bridging oncology & autoimmune pathways with the same precision-first mindset. You don’t stumble into that kind of progress, you engineer it.
BridGene’s collabs tell their own story. Takeda is working with them to hit neurology & immunology targets using IMTAC’s live-cell power. Galapagos NV is teaming up to craft a selective SMARCA2 PROTAC for precision oncology. That’s not hype, it’s validation from pharma’s inner circle.
This $28M infusion isn’t a victory lap; it’s rocket fuel. The plan: push BGC-515 through Phase 2, advance the 2nd program toward IND-enabling studies, & scale IMTAC’s reach across oncology, immunology, & neurology. The focus is surgical, expand what works, double-down where data shines, and keep the noise low.
BridGene’s story hits different because it isn’t built on slogans, it’s built on substance. They’re chasing the more than 90% of disease-causing proteins that have been written off as “undruggable,” turning that barrier into a backlog of opportunity. In a world obsessed with hype cycles, BridGene’s rhythm is patience, precision & power.
